What Awaits Us Part 1
by PoeticalOne
Summary: Piper and Leo struggle with thoughts of the future.


Screaming and yelling in the attic Piper and Leo continue their arguement as the worried Paige and Phoebe wait down stairs, sitting at the kitchen table.  
  
"Phoebe I'm worried, they've been up there for two hours, it just seems to get louder and louder."  
  
Phoebe walks to the refrigerator and takes out two chilled bottles of water.  
  
"I am too. I have never seen them like this. I know that they've been so upset because Piper can't seem to get pregnant..."  
  
"Have they ever fought like this before?"  
  
"Never yelling and screaming...This just isn't right. Gosh what if they.."  
  
Phoebe's voice trails off as Piper and Leo's arguement reaches it's climax.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Leo, damnit! We have to do something!"  
  
"Something has to be wrong, we saw in the future our daughter but I should be..we should be pregnant by now!"  
  
"Piper don't you think I know that? Don't you think that I have been worrying to, or do you think because I am white lighter I can't feel pain.."  
  
"I never said you couldn't feel pain Leo, and you know that!" "Can't we, can't we do some kind of spell? We've went to the future before, why not again, just to make sure that things are..going as planned. I mean Prue died and that was't in the future, what if we don't-"  
  
"Don't say that Piper. Geez don't say that. We can't use a spell, it wouldn't be right.."  
  
"But I'm sure the Elders wouldn't mind, gosh Leo they must know just how much more happier I'd be if I could just be reassured. Leo, please"  
  
"No Piper. No"  
  
"You're afraid of what we might find, aren't you? Your afraid that if we go to the future, that we won't see a daughter that we won't-"  
  
"Piper! If that's what you think fine go ahead!"  
  
Everything is silent for a moment, like a record has stopped. Piper looks at Leo, lovingly and sadly. Leo sits down on the couch near the book, as Piper walks over to him in silence.  
  
Leo gets comfortable and watches his wife as she sits at the other end of the couch, so far away.  
  
"Leo, please. I can't think about anything else besides our daughter. Are we ever going to have her, what if Prue's death changed everything, including our future family?"  
  
She quickly wipes her tear away and continues, looking pleadingly into Leo's eyes.  
  
"I just need this one thing, I need to know Leo. I need to know."  
  
"Ok Piper, I will do this, but I'm only doing it because of the look you've had in those eyes of yours lately."  
  
Piper inches quickly to her husband and puts her arms on his chest, giving him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Thank you Leo."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Paige is reading a magazine while Phoebe is tapping away at her lap top. All of a sudden the shouting stops and the sisters look up at eachother.  
  
"Do you think..they're ok now?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Do you think we should go up there?"  
  
"Paige they are a married couple, and probably want privacy after their own personal World War III."  
  
"Hey I am not married and I like quiet..come on I mean, really, what if Piper is alone in her room...crying..all alone and Leo orbed off and she's wondering why we aren't up there comforting her..."  
  
Phoebe rolls her eyes and closes her laptop. Paige jumps up as Phoebe starts ascending towards Piper's bedroom. The girls pass their rooms and reach Pipers closed door at the end of the hall.  
  
  
  
"Should we open it?"  
  
"I think knocking would be nice little sister witch."  
  
Paige softly knocks on the door and then opens it, peeking into the room. Realizing Pipers not there she opens the door all the way.  
  
"She's not here"  
  
"No shit Sherlock, should we check the attic?"  
  
"Paige, I have to do my column, Piper probably wants to be alone anyway."  
  
Paige looks down at the floor and softly says  
  
"She didn't want to be alone when she wanted to talk about her almost being pregnant."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Look all I am saying, is talking is better than keeping feelings in!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Phoebe and Paige stand there for a few moments. Phoebe can't help thinking she shouldn't have moved out, or atleast waited a little while. Why has Cole been acting like her sisters are poison? Why is she not here more? You have to face it Phoebe, spending one night in the manor isn't going to make us as close as we were before.  
  
"I'm sorry Phoebe. It's just, Piper is the oldest, she's the strongest and she always seems so in control, but lately. She hasn't been. She's been so sad, I bet I could even say depressed!"  
  
"I know, I know. But I don't know what to do!"  
  
Phoebe slowly sits down on Piper's bed and pulls her knees up to her chest. Her little sister sits beside, ready to hear her pour her heart out.  
  
"Paige I'm so worried. Cole is busy with work and you guys are across the city. Sometimes I come home and the apartment is completely empty. I feel so alone."  
  
"But your not Phoebe your welcome here anytime."  
  
Phoebe gets wrapped up in Paige's arms.  
  
"I know I am welcome here, but sometimes, all the time actually, I wish, that I lived here with you guys again, but Cole.."  
  
"It'll be ok, after Piper gets a bit better, we'll talk to her about this. She'll know what to do. You might even make her feel a lot better, just by saying this."  
  
Phoebe and Paige sit comfortably in eachothers arms for a few minutes. Watching the sun slowly set outside of Piper's window. Watching the night sky go dark, and the street lights come on. Forgetting for a moment that they are witches, and just knowing that they are sisters. Taking advantage of the alone time to just be close to eachother, just for a little while, to be normal.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Piper quickly walks to the Book of Shadows and opens up to the time travles spell, with only having to turn the thick pages twice.  
  
"I see you've looked at this spell before"  
  
Piper looks at Leo with a hint of a worried smile on her lips  
  
"Once or twice....."  
  
Piper and Leo look into eachothers faces worried, about what they may find in the changed future. What if they don't have children, what if they never have a family together?  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be"  
  
Piper begins to read the first words of the spell as Leo butts in  
  
"Hey shouldn't we tell your sisters..?"  
  
"Oh..umm.yea.."  
  
((Piper walks to the door and yells))  
  
"Paige, Phoebe get up here we need you!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Phoebe and Paige jump, startled by Piper's sudden yell.  
  
"They need us, yay!"  
  
Paige jumps up and runs to the attic, Phoebe tailing her.  
  
They burst into the attic and see Piper and Leo at the Book.  
  
"Hey what's going on?"  
  
"What are you guys going to cast a spell or something?"  
  
"Yea, we are. A spell to see the future."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I.."  
  
"We"  
  
Piper smiles, relieved to see that she has Leo' fulls support.  
  
"We, want to know if we have a daughter or not."  
  
"But I thought you guys saw it in the future already?"  
  
"We did, but Prue died, and we didn't see that in the future, things change."  
  
"Wait isn't this personal gain? I mean, your doing it out of your own curiousity, to make yourself feel better."  
  
Piper stays quiet, hurt by what Phoebe said. Hasn't she seen the pain I have been going through these past weeks. Jesus it hurts to move, to eat, to even breath, hasn't she noticed that?  
  
Leo looks at Piper, realizing she isn't going to answer. Lately Phoebe and her have been drifting apart and they seem to be slipping further away by the minute.  
  
"Umm I'm sure the Elders will understand..the circumstances and won't interfere."  
  
Paige butts in, realizing how uncomfortable her sisters seem around eachother  
  
"Ok, whatever you guys think is best. Does this mean I get to see my little neice?"  
  
Piper smiles gratfully at her little sister and can't help but feel sad. Gosh I wish I had got to know her when she was younger, I feel like everyday I have to make up with what we lost by finding out new things about her. I bet if she were around Prue would have loved her too. Three little sisters to watch over and mother. She would have loved it.  
  
"Hopefully."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Piper, Phoebe and Paige walk to the book with Leo following close behind.  
  
"Ok so I guess we have to say the spell, and the future is brought to us."  
  
"Cool"  
  
Piper, Phoebe and Paige recite the spell in unison as Leo nervously awaits the future. What will probably determine his and Piper's happiness together.  
  
All of a sudden a white light falls over the house and in a few seconds everything is back to normal.  
  
"Ok so, that was it, aren't we supposed to have the umm future here? Everything is exactly the same"  
  
Piper quickly walks to the center of the attic and runs her eyes over everything, hoping to see the furniture moved, or things out of place. Sadly Piper realizes, everything is exactly the same, the couch, the old mirror and the chest with the candles in it, all in the same places.  
  
"Le-Leo, everything is the same. Something is wrong, it has to be, this should be different"  
  
Leo quickly walks over to Piper as we hear soft footsteps and a tiny voice call out  
  
"Mommy, are you up here?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Suddenly, the attic door opens, and standing there is a little girl, the age of three. She has her dark brown hair in pig tails and is carrying a stuffed animal. The little girls blue eyes, starting to fill with tears scan the room and they land on Piper  
  
"Mommy can you fix him, Cuppy's eye fell off Mommy, you have to fix it."  
  
She says as she sinks into her Mothers arms.  
  
Piper looks down at her little girl, shocked, surprised and speechless all at once.  
  
Phoebe, Paige and Leo stand there, not quite knowing what to do as they watch Piper hold her baby girl.  
  
"Mommy are you gonna fix it for me?"  
  
Piper wraps her arms around her little girl and nuzzles her face into her baby shampoo smelling hair, giving her tiny forhead a kiss.  
  
"Of course I am sweetie, Mommy will fix it."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
Piper, Leo, Phoebe and Paige follow Piper and Leo's tiny little daughter down the attic stairs and through the hallway. Piper and Leo's daughter turns around, confused?  
  
"Mommy, where is my room?"  
  
"Umm.. to tell you the truth, I don't know"  
  
"Why don't you know? Did it disdapeared? You and Daddy built that room 'specially for me, and aunt Phoebe and Paige painted the pink bows. Where is it? Why is it all gone? Did all my toys run away too? Mommy I need my room back, my special picture of Aunty Prue will be all gone, and she won't be able to watch over me when I sleep. And Mommy why did you guys change your clothes. You look so different! Aunty Paiges skirt wasn't that short this morning! And your hair was different too!"  
  
The group of adults just stand there in awe of her. They can't help but smile at the mention of Prue, years later and she is alive.  
  
Piper bends down in front of her daughter, ready to explain, or to try everything, as best she can to such a small girl.  
  
"Well see sweetie, what happened is you are from the future. Mommy and Daddy brought you here because we were a bit worried that you hadn't started growing in Mommy's tummy yet, and we wanted to make sure...that you were ok."  
  
"So I'm not supposed to be here?Piper Wyatt Halliwell you are not supposed to cast spells"  
  
Says the little girl, shaking her finger playfully in her young Mother's face.  
  
"And you little Ms...."  
  
Piper stops suddenly stops mid sentence and everyone knows why-they don't know her name! Leo notices Piper is having a little trouble recovering from her mistake and comes over to help her, after just watching from afar, not knowing quite what to do.  
  
Slowly Leo approaches his baby girl and can't help but notice how much she looks like her beautiful Mother. She has her smile, her nose, her hair. Everything like Piper, except her eyes. She has Prue's eyes.  
  
As Leo gets closer he bends down to the size of his daughter, ready to do more explaining. The little girl quickly forgets about her Mother's hesitation about saying her name as she sees her Daddy. Her wonderful, strong Daddy who taught her just last week how to catch a baseball with a glove.  
  
"Daddy does that mean you don't nemember me either?"  
  
"I'm afraid not sweetie."  
  
Replies Leo as he takes his Daughter in his arms and puts the other around his wife.  
  
"Now we have some business to take care of!"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well first of all...your name."  
  
"You don't even know my name?"  
  
"Well see.."  
  
Leo sighs as he tries to explain  
  
"You Mother and I were choosing between a couple names, and we don't know which one we decided on."  
  
"Guess!"  
  
Leo and Piper look at eachother. Is this a good idea? Completely wrapped up in themselves they don't notice Phoebe and Paige who slip down to the kitchen as an effort to give them more privacy.  
  
"Hmm well, I don't know Mom, how about you go first?"  
  
Leo gives her a little grin as he watches her think of wich name to guess.  
  
"Hmm I don't know.."  
  
"And oh yea you have to say my whole bery long name all the way out. Not just my first one!"  
  
Their daughter sits there, smiling ear to ear, proud of herself for thinking up a game that will probably take a few minutes and delay her bed time.  
  
"Well maybe, Melinda.. Prudence Melinda Halliwell Wyatt?"  
  
"Close, but nope! Daddy you guess now!"  
  
"Hmm...Melinda Prudence Halliwell Wyatt?"  
  
"Daddy got it!"  
  
"We never could make our minds up..."  
  
Says Piper smiling.  
  
Melinda claps her tiny hands together.  
  
"Now I think that Daddy should get a prize, can we have ice cream before bed?"  
  
"Oh my gosh, bed!  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"9:30"  
  
"You missy should be asleep!"  
  
"But I don't have a room, does that mean I get to sleep in your big bed tonight Daddy?!"  
  
"No, I am sure one of your Aunt's would not mind giving up their bed for the night"  
  
"But what about the ice cream?"  
  
"Tomorrow."  
  
"But Daddy I want it now!"  
  
"I promise, me and you will have some tomorrow."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Melinda gives her Dad a kiss on the cheek and a hug before Piper brings her into her room to find a big t-shirt, and put her little girl to sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
10:30 at night, Piper, Leo, Paige and Phoebe are all down stairs in the kitchen as Melinda sleeps soundly in her Dad's t-shirt and under her Aunt's extra big bed.  
  
"So I guess what you guys got you wanted, huh?"  
  
"More, so much more Paige."  
  
Says Piper smiling. Leo and Piper are seated at the other side of the kitchen, Leo with his arm around Piper.  
  
"She's beautiful Piper, she looks just like you."  
  
"Thanks Pheebs, it's kind of funny how much we look alike. Her smile, her nose, her hair. But not those eyes. Those are Prue's. A present from Prue. So that we'll remember her, I know she gave Melinda to us."  
  
Leo gives Piper a kiss on the cheek.  
  
So I guess I will get to have your big sister around, sorta. I guess I can settle for part of her."  
  
"We all have part of her now Paige."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It's 11:30 as Leo and Piper walk up the stairs to peek at their creation one more time before going to bed.  
  
Piper gently opens the door, and a stream of light falls on the little baby face. The blankets are pulled up to her chin, and beside her is her one- eyed-dog.  
  
"I can't believe we do it Leo. I can't believe we make this, that we make her. She's beautiful."  
  
"She's perfect."  
  
"I don't want to have to let her go..."  
  
"Atleast we know that soon she'll be coming back Piper. It's the best thing for her, with this war in the underworld going on, she isn't safe here. We have to get her back soon, but maybe she could stay for a few days."  
  
"Yes, a few days would be good."  
  
Leo and Piper stand there, holding eachother as they look at Melinda sleep. So warm, so peaceful, so complete. Leo kisses Piper on the cheek. As Piper breaths in his scent deeply.  
  
"I love you.  
  
"I love you."  
  
They stand there for a while, just holding eachother. After a few minutes Piper and Leo lock hands as they leave their Daughter's doorway, and enter their own.  
  
"Don't forget, in the morning you have to sew that eye back on, Mom."  
  
"I know."  
  
Says Piper smiling, happily.  
  
"I know."  
  
The End! 


End file.
